Time to buy a Porsche Cayman?

I’ve just been trawling the classifieds, surprised at what good value Porsche Caymans are now. Prices start at £15,000 for an early (2006) car.

Maybe not so surprising, for a car of that age but what is strange is the fact that most Caymans on the market have refreshingly low mileages, with the majority being under 50,000 and cars in the 20,000s are not unusual. And the good news is, you don’t seem to have to pay a premium for a low-mileage example.

The Cayman is an enigma. It never sold as well as Porsche hoped it would, yet it’s a superb car. The mid-engine means that the handling is second-to-none and it’s an easier car to drive than a 911.

It looks great, too, with its fastback roof and bulging haunches, while the lifting tailgate makes it a practical proposition.

So why wasn’t it more popular? Maybe people can’t get over the ‘Boxster coupe’ (or Coxster, as Clarkson unkindly dubbed it) connotations. But what’s wrong with the idea of a Boxster with a roof? Or maybe it’s just too close to a 911 in some people’s minds and they’d rather go the whole hog and get ‘the real thing’.

Personally, I think the Cayman stands out as a great Porsche in its own right. If you’ve not considered one before, now’s the time to do so.